​Somedays, I write this blog at night instead of first thing in the morning. As I sit here now, for some reason it reminds of the Evening Star or the Evening Post. Not like Norman Rockwell but like some magazine or newspaper from a childhood memory.  Specifically, back when I was a kid, the Washington Star newspaper had this separate fold-out tucked into the comics just for children. I can't remember the name of the little fold-out but it had puzzles, stories and history lessons about George Washington and the Supreme Court-stuff like that just for kids. Sorta like a Weekly Reader magazine but inserted into the comic section of the Sunday paper.   You could count on it to be there every Sunday and then the Washington Star went out of business.  I was devastated.  I was heart broken.  I was just about 6-years-old and already understood the importance of print newspapers long before their digital downfall. 

​Then much to my delight, the Washington Post started carrying my little fold-out of Sunday bliss.  My hobby; my ritual.  Isn't it interesting how we are attracted to certain things as we grow up?  Things that to other people would never matter but to you, your little world revolves around it and it brings you pure unadulterated joy. 

Even to the point, that 40 years later you are writing about it in a blog.  The thought of its consistency and simplicity brings light to my heart and a smile to my face even now.
 
It is so consistent and simple it is meditative. So is the the practice of writing about the memory itself.  The original meditation is being 6-years-old with pencil in hand doing my "find a word" puzzles, and developing my love of polar bears and penguin by reading the blurbs.  The meditation now comes from being present in this moment in time writing about the joy of my childhood ritual.

So as I finish writing this blog entry tonight, I will remember to get up early and write tomorrow's blog first thing.  After all, it will be Sunday morning and it will be time for my 6-year-old self to be unleashed.  

What simple task is meditative for you?

​I recently took a new student workshop for my upcoming PhD program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.  They were getting our juices flowing with some creative writing exercises.  The hope is the development of creative writing skills ultimately leads to a well written dissertation.

One exercise is particular spoke to me.  An exercise in Ekphrasis (“Description” in Greek). An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through narrating and reflecting on the action of a painting or sculpture, the poet can expand the artwork's meaning. Some notable examples you may have read in school are Keats' “Ode on a Grecian Urn” or Carlos' "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus".

So as a good workshop participant, I took a stab at it by reflecting on "Abaporu" (The Man That Eats People) painted by Tarsila do Amaral. 

Sun glares over cacti
Skies cloudlessly bright
Sits on grassy dryness
Elbow rests

Thoughts of consumption
Tastes of emotions, souls, lives
Inflammation engorges 
Boundary + Less

How does another's act of "cannibalism" expand your thoughts on cultivating your personal boundaries?

​This past weekend marked the end of a journey for me.  I finally completed my Master of Science in Yoga Therapy (OOKKK…I still have one assignment to turn in but the classwork and clinics are done!!).  A year ago, before we started our clinical rotation, we were asked to write a letter of encouragement to ourselves from our future selves. After we wrote it, we were to save it and read it when we completed clinic. Here’s what I wrote:

​To: Me
​
You got this!  Be patient with yourself. It will all come in time.  Enjoy the learning process. Enjoy the people you become friends with.  Always show respect and love for your instructors.

You will always be learning and growing.  This was the path you were meant to be on-Don’t forget that and don’t get discouraged.  This will be a transformative year for you.

Always remember that your clients/students will teach you more about yourself than you will ever teach them.

Enjoy the ride-It’s all about the journey.

From: Me 

P.S. My word of intention for the year: Adventure!!


Damn!!  My future self was one smart cookie.   

​I think I should listen to her more often.

​In Steven Hayes' Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, he writes about the concept of the “Mind Train”.  The “Mind Train” is when we start to buy into our thoughts.  He recommends cultivating other skills to deal with the internal mental processes that cause us so much suffering.
 
We can do this by learning how to watch your thoughts:

• Without belief or disbelief
• Without entanglement
• Without struggle

​Hayes created the “Watching the Mind-Train” Meditation to help.

• Imagine yourself standing on a bridge overlooking three train tracks.  Each track carries an individual train: one carries the “ore” of things you notice in the present moment, one carries your thoughts, and one carries your urges to act.
• While maintaining this visual, bring your attention to something you have been struggling with lately.
• Your job is only to stay on the bridge and watch the trains pass by. If you notice your mind has jumped down into one of the railcars carrying the different “ores” and is struggling with its content, take notice what hooked you. File it away and mentally return to the bridge and look down at the trains once again.
• Continue to take notice of your thoughts for 5-10 minutes. Just watch what comes up for you.

Finally, write down what you noticed when standing on the bridge watching the three trains. 

• How does what you notice relate to the Kleshas (ignorance, egoism,            attachment, aversion, and clinging)?
• How can you reframe your self-talk and let go of attachment?
• How can you begin to describe yourself as being “with a feeling” as opposed to “having a feeling”?
• How does the reframed language shift or change your level of contentment (Santosha)?

 
Hayes, S.C and Smith, S. (2005). Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  Oakland, CA. New Harbinger    Publications, Inc.

Satchidananda, S. S. (2012). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham, VA. Integral Yoga Publications.

 
The simple act of smiling has a powerful effect on your life. As you face life's challenges, make smiling your secret ingredient for maintaining a happy life and a positive mindset.

It turns out that smiling and happiness are intertwined. When you feel happy, your brain releases serotonin (regulates mood), dopamine (regulates pleasure), and endorphins (relieves stress and pain) which then transmit a signal to your face to trigger a smile. When these chemicals circulate through your system, they help to lower stress and anxiety, they help to regulate heart rate and blood pressure, and they take your nervous system out of fight and flight mode. 
 
Now here’s the fun part… when your facial muscles contract into a smile, a signal is fired back to the brain creating a feedback loop of HAPPINESS!
 
Simply put:

• When you feel happy, you smile.
• When you smile, you feel happy.

You have a happiness controller in your hands! You can turn a bad mood around by simply smiling. You can cheat the system and make your brain release feelings of happiness.
 
So, be mischievous and smile that devilish grin! Make people wonder what you’ve been up to. 
 
 
“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”-Phyllis Diller